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AWG Awards AWG Outstanding Educator Awards Dr. Gail M. Ashley - 2002 AWG Outstanding Educator Awardee When Dr. Gail M. Ashley was nominated for this year's AWG Outstanding Educator Award, members of the nominating committee were taken aback -- none of them could believe that Dr. Ashley hadn't already received this award. Now, happily, that oversight has been corrected. Dr. Ashley is a geoscientist of international stature. She is a Professor of Geological Sciences at Rutger's University and has served as president of both the Geological Society of America (GSA) and the Society for Sedimentary Geologists (SEPM). Her publication list includes over 50 refereed articles, over 100 abstracts and editorship of 6 books. She has also served on countless government, society and university committees and panels. As distinguished as her resume is, and as impressive as is the service she has given to the geosciences, Dr. Ashley is above all else an educator, a dedicated teacher and mentor. Since arriving at Rutgers in 1977, Dr. Ashley has been the major supervisor of eleven undergraduate theses/independent study projects, and has supervised 34 graduate student theses and dissertations. That's an average of almost two theses a year for twenty-five years. More impressive than the numbers, though, is the fact that all but one of her graduate students are practicing geologists. Among other places, they can be found in state geological surveys, in academia (including a department head and dean), in consulting companies, in the National Park Service and in the oil patch. This can be no accident. In the nominating letters, it was clear that she works closely with her students, helping them to define and to shape a manageable research project and continues to support them throughout their careers. Her support for her students is apparent in countless ways. I remember attending a session at one GSA meeting; there was a 15-minute break in the session just before the last speaker was to give her talk. This closing speaker was someone of whom I, and probably many others in the room, had not heard, and during the break, an exodus began. But not so fast! Gail Ashley buttonholed me and several others, to ensure that her student would have the audience she deserved. And stay we did, to give that last paper a hearing. Dr. Ashley grew up in Northampton, MA. Although this is not an area known to produce a lot of geologists, she had the good fortune to live next to a Smith College geology professor (Marshall Schalk). He helped to instill in her a fascination with earth processes – the power of a river, the slow movement of a glacier, and constantly changing landscapes -- by loaning her geology books and answering questions. His work, which involved travel and the out-of-doors, suited her interests far more than her father's career as a pharmacist. She was hooked. Her first geology course in college at the University of Massachusetts, taught by Dr. George McGill, continued interest. If one of Dr. Ashley's career goals was travel and out door work, this has certainly been fulfilled. She and her students have conducted fieldwork from Alaska to Africa. When asked about obstacles to her and other women's scientific careers, she cites several. "One problem was trying to juggle family and career. I was married and had two children when I was going to graduate school and getting tenure. There was never enough time for their [my family's] needs as well as my research and job. My first marriage ended the year I received tenure." A second obstacle, she believes, lies in the issues of assertiveness and leadership. "Cultural expectations for women are different than for men and academia operates within our culture. Women have to walk a very fine line between being assertive enough to compete, but not too aggressive to be off-putting to those making decisions about your career. Networking in a male-dominated field takes special skills in order to be treated as an intellectual equal. The situation does not necessarily improve as women get older." Yet another obstacle, according to Dr. Ashley, is the excessive demands for exttracurricular service made on female professionals within the sciences. This is in part a function of a change for the better. As organizations such as universities, NSF and society at large try to increase the presence of women on committees and other decision-making bodies, they draw on the same, relatively restricted pool of women, overwhelming them with competing requests. Though such service has positive aspects with regard to networking, it can absorb huge amounts of time and energy, thus hindering female scientists' research productivity. Despite the obstacles, Dr. Ashley also points out there are some advantages to being a woman in the geosciences, in particular you tend to stand out and as a result people tend to remember you. We, as women geoscientists are indeed fortunate to have Dr. Gail Ashley as our colleague, mentor and friend. It is well past time when she should be the recipient of this award.

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